System and method for enhanced command input

ABSTRACT

A portable electronic device having an input device for receiving a gesture based input from a user is used to control a navigation operation of an appliance. The portable electronic device receives via the input device the gesture based input and uses one or more parameters stored in a memory of the portable electronic device and one or more characteristics associated with the gesture based input to cause the portable electronic device to transmit a navigation step command to thereby control the navigation operation of the appliance.

RELATED APPLICATION INFORMATION

This application claims the benefit of and is a continuation of U.S.application Ser. No. 13/887,784, filed on May 6, 2013, which applicationclaims the benefit of and is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.12/552,761, filed on Sep. 2, 2009, the disclosures of which areincorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

Controlling devices, for example remote controls, for use in issuingcommands to entertainment and other appliances, and the features andfunctionality provided by such controlling devices are well known in theart. Traditionally, user input means on such controlling devices hascomprised a series of buttons each of which may result in thetransmission of a specific command when activated. Increasingly intoday's environment, such controlling devices must be used to interactwith displayed menu systems, browse web pages, manipulate pointers, andperform other similar activities which may require movement, e.g., toscroll displayed information on a screen, to move a pointer, to controla game activity or avatar, to zoom in or out, to control functions suchas fast forward or slow motion, or the like (such activitiescollectively referred to hereafter as “navigation”). Although control ofnavigation functions is possible using conventional controlling deviceinput mechanisms, such as a group of up, down, left, and right arrowkeys, in many instances the user experience may be improved by theprovision of an input mechanism which is better suited to this type ofactivity. Additionally, in some cases the user experience may be furtherenhanced by providing for adjustment of various aspects of thenavigation input system, such as sensitivity, speed, etc., according topersonal preference.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with this and other needs, the following generallydescribes a system and method for providing improved navigation inputfunctionality on a controlling device. To this end, in addition to aconventional key matrix for receiving button inputs as is well known inthe art, a controlling device may be provided with navigation-specificinput means such as for example a mechanical scroll wheel, resistive orcapacitive touch sensor, etc., whereby motion and/or pressure by auser's finger may be translated into a repetitive series of stepcommands transmitted to a target controlled device. These commands maybe applied at the target device to control navigation relatedoperations, such as the scrolling of a menu, the movement of a cursor onthe screen, the motion of a game object, etc., as appropriate for aparticular application. The step repetition rate output by thecontrolling device may be variable dependent upon speed of motion and/orintensity of pressure, and may further include non-linear responsefactors such as acceleration/deceleration as well as virtual buttonsensing. The parameters controlling such response factors may be useradjustable to match individual preferences.

A better understanding of the objects, advantages, features, propertiesand relationships of the invention will be obtained from the followingdetailed description and accompanying drawings which set forthillustrative embodiments and which are indicative of the various ways inwhich the principles of the invention may be employed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a better understanding of the various aspects of the invention,reference may be had to preferred embodiments shown in the attacheddrawings in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary system in which an exemplary controllingdevice according to the instant invention may be used;

FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of exemplary components of theexemplary controlling device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 further illustrates the exemplary controlling device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 illustrates exemplary methods for reporting navigation stepfunctions from a controlling device to a target appliance; and

FIG. 5 illustrates the definition of an exemplary virtual button presszone for the navigation input sensing area of an exemplary controllingdevice.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Turning now to FIG. 1, there is illustrated an exemplary system in whicha controlling device 100 is configured to control various controllableappliances, such as a television 102 and a set top box (“STB”) 104. Asis known in the art, the controlling device 100 is capable oftransmitting commands to the appliances, using any convenient IR, RF,Point-to-Point, or networked protocol, to cause the appliances toperform operational functions. While illustrated in the context of atelevision 102 and STB 104, it is to be understood that controllableappliances may include, but need not be limited to, televisions, VCRs,DVRs, DVD players, cable or satellite converter set-top boxes (“STBs”),amplifiers, CD players, game consoles, home lighting, drapery, fans,HVAC systems, thermostats, personal computers, etc. In a particularillustrative embodiment, in addition to conventional controlfunctionality as is well know in the art, controlling device 100 mayfurther include an input area 106 for generation of navigation commandsfor transmission from the controlling device 100 to one or moreappliances in response to user interaction with that area, used forexample to scroll a program guide menu display 108 on TV 102 by issuinga series of step commands to set top box 104 as will be described infurther detail hereafter.

With reference to FIG. 2, for use in commanding the functionaloperations of one or more appliances, the controlling device 100 mayinclude, as needed for a particular application, a processor 200 coupledto a ROM memory 204; a RAM memory 202; a key matrix 216 (e.g., hardkeys, soft keys such as a touch sensitive surface overlaid on a liquidcrystal (LCD), and/or an electroluminescent (EL) display); a scrollingand/or navigation function input means 218 such as a capacitive orresistive touch sensor, scroll wheel, etc.; transmission circuit(s)and/or transceiver circuit(s) 210 (e.g., IR and/or RF); a non-volatileread/write memory 206; a means 220 to provide visual feedback to theuser (e.g., one or more LEDs, display, and/or the like); a means 222 toprovide audible feedback to a user (e.g., a speaker, piezoelectricbuzzer, etc.); a power source 208; an input/output port 224 such as aserial interface, USB port, modem, Zigbee, WiFi, or Bluetoothtransceiver, etc.; a biometric input device 226 such a fingerprintrecognition pad, hand tremor detector, etc.; and clock and timer logic212 with associated crystal or resonator 214.

As will be understood by those skilled in the art, some or all of thememories 202, 204, 206 may include executable instructions(collectively, the program memory) that are intended to be executed bythe processor 200 to control the operation of the remote control 100, aswell as data which serves to define to the operational software thenecessary control protocols and command values for use in transmittingcommand signals to controllable appliances (collectively, the commanddata). In this manner, the processor 200 may be programmed to controlthe various electronic components within the remote control 100, e.g.,to monitor the key matrix 216, to cause the transmission of signals,etc. The non-volatile read/write memory 206, for example an EEPROM,battery-backed up RAM, FLASH, Smart Card, memory stick, or the like, mayadditionally be provided to store setup data and parameters asnecessary. While the memory 204 is illustrated and described as a ROMmemory, memory 204 can also be comprised of any type of readable media,such as ROM, FLASH, EEPROM, or the like. Preferably, the memories 204and 206 are non-volatile or battery-backed such that data is notrequired to be reloaded after battery changes. In addition, the memories202, 204 and 206 may take the form of a chip, a hard disk, a magneticdisk, an optical disk, and/or the like. Still further, it will beappreciated that some or all of the illustrated memory devices may bephysically combined (for example, a single FLASH memory may be logicallypartitioned into different portions to support the functionality ofmemories 204 and 206 respectively), and/or may be physicallyincorporated within the same IC chip as the microprocessor 200 (a socalled “microcontroller”) and, as such, they are shown separately inFIG. 2 only for the sake of clarity.

To cause the controlling device 100 to perform an action, thecontrolling device 100 is adapted to be responsive to events, such as asensed user interaction with the key matrix 216, etc. In response to anevent, appropriate instructions within the program memory (hereafter the“operating program”) may be executed. For example, when a function keyis actuated on the controlling device 100, the controlling device 100may retrieve from the command data stored in memory 202, 204, 206 acommand value and control protocol corresponding to the actuatedfunction key and, where necessary, current device mode and will use theretrieved command data to transmit to an intended target appliance,e.g., STB 104, a command in a format recognizable by that appliance tothereby control one or more functional operations of that appliance. Itwill be appreciated that the operating program can be used not only tocause the transmission of commands and/or data to the appliances, butalso to perform local operations. While not limiting, local operationsthat may be performed by the controlling device 100 may includedisplaying information/data, favorite channel setup, macro key setup,function key relocation, etc. Examples of local operations can be foundin U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,481,256, 5,959,751, and 6,014,092.

In some embodiments, controlling device 100 may be the universal type,that is provisioned with a library comprising a multiplicity of commandcodes and protocols suitable for controlling various appliances. In suchcases, for selecting sets of command data to be associated with thespecific appliances to be controlled (hereafter referred to as a setupprocedure), data may be entered into the controlling device 100 thatserves to identify each intended target appliance by its make, and/ormodel, and/or type. The data may typically be entered via activation ofthose keys that are also used to cause the transmission of commands toan appliance, preferably the keys that are labeled with numerals. Suchdata allows the controlling device 100 to identify the appropriatecommand data set within the library of command data that is to be usedto transmit recognizable commands in formats appropriate for suchidentified appliances. The library of command data may represent aplurality of controllable appliances of different types and manufacture,a plurality of controllable appliances of the same type but differentmanufacture, a plurality of appliances of the same manufacture butdifferent type or model, etc., or any combination thereof as appropriatefor a given embodiment. In conventional practice as is well known in theart, such data used to identify an appropriate command data set may takethe form of a numeric setup code (obtained, for example, from a printedlist of manufacturer names and/or models with corresponding codenumbers, from a support Web site, etc.). Alternative setup proceduresknown in the art include scanning bar codes, sequentially transmitting apredetermined command in different formats until a target applianceresponse is detected, interaction with a Web site culminating indownloading of command data and/or setup codes to the controllingdevice, etc. Since such methods for setting up a controlling device tocommand the operation of specific home appliances are well-known, thesewill not be described in greater detail herein. Nevertheless, foradditional information pertaining to setup procedures, the reader mayturn, for example, to U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,959,810, 5,614,906, or 6,225,938all of like assignee and incorporated herein by reference in theirentirety.

In keeping with the teachings of this invention, controlling device 100may also include an input device for accepting user touch input to betranslated into navigation commands. In an exemplary embodiment, theinput device 218 may take the form of a two-axis multiple-electrodecapacitive touch sensor as illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 5. In this form,input device 218 may accept finger sliding gestures on either axis fortranslation into navigation step commands in an X or Y direction, aswell as finger taps at the cardinal points and center area fortranslation into discrete commands, for example, equivalent to aconventional keypad's four arrow keys and a select key, all as will bedescribed in further detail hereafter. It will however be appreciatedthat any other suitable technology, electrical, mechanical or acombination thereof may be used to implement the teachings of thisinvention, and accordingly the methods described may be appliedregardless of the physical input means employed by a particularembodiment.

Navigation step commands resulting from finger sliding gestures may bereported to a target appliance using any convenient transmissionprotocol, IR or RF, as known in the art. In general, such reports mayinclude information representative of both direction and speed of theinput gesture. By way of example, without limitation, two possiblemethods of formatting such a report transmission are illustrated in FIG.4 for an exemplary gesture 400, in an upward direction on the Y-axis ofa navigation input area 106 of an exemplary controlling device 100 andwith a speed/time profile as illustrated by curve 402. In one exemplaryembodiment, navigation step commands may be reported as illustrated at404, comprising a transmission of a sequence of navigation directioncommands (for example an “‘up’ command” 406) where the navigationdirection command is repeated a variable number of times at a variablerate (T1, T2, T3, T4, etc.) which is determined as a function of, forexample, the current speed of gesture 400 and one or more of the storedparameters. In another exemplary embodiment, navigation step commandsmay be reported as illustrated at 408, comprising a transmission of asequence of variable direction delta values 410 (for example, “deltaY”=1, 2, 3, 4 etc.) where the direction delta values are transmitted atfixed intervals Tf and wherein the delta values are determined as afunction of, for example, the current speed of gesture 400 and one ormore of the stored parameters. In general, any suitable transmissionprotocol and reporting method may be used as appropriate to the targetappliance to be controlled. It will be further appreciated that incertain embodiments where controlling device 100 is of the universaltype, more than one method of reporting navigation step commands may besupported by controlling device 100 and selected dependent on the targetdevice currently configured. Since the methods for formatting andencoding command transmission packets are well known in the art, for thesake of brevity these will not be described further herein. However, foradditional information regarding formats and encoding schemes, theinterested reader my turn to, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,167,913 or5,640,160 both of are incorporated herein by reference in theirentirety.

To adapt the characteristics of the navigation input device 218 used tothe requirements of the appliance to be controlled, in most embodimentsa translation is required from the physical input parameters receivedfrom navigation input device 218 to a logical number of steps to betransmitted to the target device, for example STB 104. This logical stepvalue may be dependent both on a cumulative distance value of an inputgesture and the speed that gesture. By way of further example, differentnavigation input devices may have different physical resolutions; i.e.,a complete path such as an end-to-end finger swipe, full wheel rotation,maximum electrical impedance swing, etc., may be translated into adifferent number of physical steps. This physical resolution must bemapped to a logical number of steps which correspond to a desired rangeof commands to be issued to a target device. By way of example, if anavigation input device such as 218 reports 256 increments end-to-end onits X-axis and the X axis slider input is to be mapped to 8 logicalsteps, then each 32 steps of physical movement on the illustrativeslider may be translated to 1 logical step to be reported to the target.In general for linear, non-accelerated behavior this may be representedas:STEP-D=int(PHY-D*STEP-MAX/PHY-MAX)Where

-   -   STEP-D: number of logical steps to be reported to the target for        a PHY-D movement    -   PHY-D: raw delta physical movement reported by the input device    -   PHY-MAX: maximum resolution of the input device.    -   STEP-MAX: number of logical steps to be reported for a maximum        physical movement.        In certain embodiments the physical movements may be calculated        cumulatively; i.e., at some sample rates a movement may not be        enough to generate a logical step report to the target, however        through more sample periods the cumulative distance may reach        the threshold of a logical step and be reported to the target at        that time. Also in some instances a “carry-over” behavior may be        required to assure natural translation of physical movements to        logical steps. In such cases a PHY-CR parameter, representative        of carry over physical movement from previous steps not yet        applied towards a logical step may be added as follows:        STEP-D=int((PHY-CR+PHY-D)/(PHY-MAX/STEP-MAX))        where PHY-CR=(PHY-CR+PHY-D)mod(PHY-MAX/STEP-MAX)

In addition, in certain embodiments an acceleration coefficient may beapplied to the raw data provided by the input device, based on the speedof interaction. Such an acceleration coefficient may be derived, forexample, as follows:ACC-COEFF=(PHY-D*T-MAX)/(T-D*PHY-MAX)If (ACC-COEFF<1

Acceleration=Disabled) then ACC-COEFF=1Where

-   -   T-MAX: A baseline number of sample periods to travel the PHY-MAX        distance on the input device, i.e., the highest rate of user        input which should result in linear step data output with no        acceleration.    -   T-D: Sample periods elapsed to travel PHY-D.    -   ACC-COEFF: The acceleration coefficient to be applied to raw        physical data for a non-linear experience. The value of this        coefficient is always >=1. (When equal to 1, acceleration is        disabled)        This acceleration coefficient parameter may then be used to        adjust the PHY-D value presented in the previous equations, for        example:        STEP-D=(PHY-CR+PHY-D*ACC-COEFF)/(PHY-MAX/STEP-MAX)        PHY-CR=(PHY-CR+PHY-D*ACC-COEFF)mod(PHY-MAX/STEP-MAX)        In certain embodiments, a user option may be provided to        permanently set the acceleration coefficient to unity, i.e.,        always provide a linear output response regardless of speed of        user gesture.

Such accelerated browsing behavior may only remain in effect for as longas a user's finger is present on the input device. Upon lifting thefinger off of the input device, command output may come to a hard stopimmediately with no further step commands transmitted to the target, orthe command output may naturally decelerate through time, i.e.,simulating a freewheeling “virtual wheel”, based upon the speed at thepoint when the finger was lifted off the interface and a decelerationcoefficient. In certain embodiments, the type of behavior and/or thedeceleration coefficient to be applied may be user-configurable options.By way of further example, in an exemplary embodiment a configurableparameter DEC-COEFF may be defined to be applied to the speed of thevirtual wheel to slowly decrease and finally bring it a natural stop. Inone embodiment, the range of DEC-COEFF may be 0 to 0.99, where 0 willresult an immediate stop. After finger lift-off, this decelerationcoefficient may be iteratively applied as follows to produce a graduateddecay in the value of PHY-D over time:PHY-AVE=DEC-COEFF*PHY-AVEPHY-D=PHY-AVEwhere the initial value of PHY-AVE is the average physical movement inthe last n sample periods before the finger was lifted off of the inputdevice; where n will be >=1. The actual number of periods DEC-n to beused may be adjusted as an additional optimization step to assure arealistic experience. Further, in certain embodiments the naturalbehavior of a virtual wheel is taken into consideration in implementingthis freewheeling feature. For example, the virtual wheel may be broughtto a hard stop as soon as a finger is placed back on the input device,by immediately simulating a “DEC-COEFF=0” state if this event occurs.Other behaviors are also contemplated in various embodiments of thisinvention, for example a short finger tap on the input device may resultin a temporary decrease in deceleration coefficient DEC-COEFF thuscausing a more rapid slowing of the output.

It will be appreciated that in certain embodiments, the scrolling andnavigation input device selected for use may already include built-inprovision for support of non-linear ballistic or inertial response suchas acceleration, freewheeling decay rate, etc., such as for example theSO3G2010 sensor module available from Synaptics Inc. of Santa Clara,Calif., and in such instances those features may be used in place or inconjunction with some or all of the methods described above.Accordingly, it is to be understood that that the methods describedabove are presented herein by way of illustration only and are notintended to be limiting.

In some embodiments, the navigation input device may also be required todecode finger taps by a user as virtual button presses for thegeneration of individual commands. To this end, the central crossingpoint and the far ends of each of the axes may be designated as buttonareas in which the type of user interaction will determine of the inputis to be interpreted as part of a finger slide or as a button press. Asillustrated in FIG. 5, the portion of each axis so designated may bedefined by a pair of parameters HotZoneMin 502 and HotZoneMax 504,applied as described hereafter. It will be appreciated that in generalthe areas defined by these parameters are present at all four cardinalpoints and the central portion of the illustrative navigation inputdevice, however for clarity only one such area is illustrated in FIG. 5.To avoid reporting unintended button presses without introducingcumbersome delays in the interaction model, an exemplary set ofinterpretation rules may comprise:

-   -   1. In freewheeling mode (i.e., when processing PHY-D decay        according to the current DEC-COEFF), any touch on the interface        is interpreted as a hard stop, regardless of location, and        evaluated thereafter as a possible start of a sliding action.    -   2. If not in freewheeling mode, any initial contact within a        defined HotZoneMin will be evaluated as a candidate for a button        press.    -   3. In order to be interpreted as a button press, one of the        following events should occur after the initial contact within a        HotZoneMin area:        -   The finger is not moved outside of HotZoneMax (which in a            preferred embodiment may be slightly larger than HotZoneMin)            within the amount of time specified by a VirtualButtonDelay            parameter; or        -   The finger is lifted off the interface without moving            outside of HotZoneMax.    -   4. If the finger is moved outside of HotZoneMax before        VirtualButtonDelay has elapsed, the input may be processed as        the start of a finger slide.

To provide user feedback during input various visible or audible signalsmay be used, for example flashing visual feedback device 220 such as anLED or providing clicking or buzzing sounds using audible feedbackdevice 222. In some embodiments, the feedback rate may be proportionalto the rate at which step commands are being issued to the targetdevice. Additionally, in some embodiments such feedback may be a userselectable option.

As will appreciated the user-perceived behavior, responsiveness, etc.,of such gesture based navigation input devices may be dependent onmultiple parameters such as for example, with reference to the foregoingillustrative embodiment:

-   -   Baseline traverse time below which acceleration is not triggered        (T-MAX).    -   Deceleration coefficient (DEC-COEFF)    -   Deceleration measurement window (DEC-n)    -   Virtual button press area (HotZoneMin, HotZoneMax)    -   Virtual button press sensitivity (VirtualButtonDelay)        Further, certain features may be enabled/disabled according to        personal preference, for example acceleration, freewheeling,        visual/audible feedback, etc. As will be appreciated, for a        given embodiment the optimum values of these parameters may vary        from user to user. For example, an experienced “power user” may        prefer a highly sensitive input system characterized for example        by a low baseline for triggering acceleration and/or a high        deceleration coefficient (slow freewheeling decay) together with        high button press sensitivity; while a beginning user may be        more comfortable with a little or no acceleration coupled with        rapid deceleration and low button press sensitivity.

Accordingly, in a preferred embodiment some or all of the theseparameters may be adjustable and stored in the non-volatile memory 206of controlling device 100. In this manner, each individual controllingdevice may be tailored to match the preferences of the primary user ofthat device. To cater for multiple users of a single equipmentconfiguration 102, 104, for example occupants of a single household,multiple controlling devices 100 may be provisioned such that each maybe configured to a particular individual's preferences. In an alternateembodiment, a single controlling device may be adapted to store multiplesets of user selectable parameters. In such instances, the current usermay for example identify themselves to controlling device via actuationof one of set of user buttons 304. Alternatively, in embodiments wherecontrolling device 100 is equipped with a biometric sensor 226, useridentification may be performed automatically. By way of examplebiometric sensor device 226 may comprise a fingerprint input pad ascontemplated in U.S. Pat. No. 6,906,696 “Method of controllingmulti-user access to the functionality of consumer devices”, or anaccelerometer for recognition of individual user hand tremorcharacteristics as contemplated in U.S. Pat. No. 7,236,156 “Methods anddevices for identifying users based on tremor”, both of which areincorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

By way of further example, an exemplary controlling device may supportuser-configurable navigation input parameters of the type and rangeshown in Table 1 below. Initially set to the default values shown, eachof these parameters may be adjusted by a user to their personalpreference by, for example, initiating a parameter setup mode viasimultaneously holding down the “enter” key 302 together with a numerickey 306 corresponding to the item number to be adjusted until an audiblebeep indicates that the parameter setup mode has been initiated. Once inparameter setup mode, a numeric value between one and four digits(depending on the parameter being adjusted) may be entered for storagein non-volatile memory 206, after which that value be used in all futurenavigation input decoding and calculations. It will be appreciated thatin embodiments which support multiple users, the adjusted values may bestored into an area of non-volatile memory assigned to the current useras previously identified, for example, by the activation of one of theuser selection buttons 304.

TABLE 1 Value range Item Description Min Max Default 1 Acceleration 0 =disable 1 = enable 1 2 Deceleration 0 = disable 1 = enable 1 3 Audiblefeedback 0 = disable 1 = enable 1 4 Basic traverse time 100 9999 500(T-MAX) (mS) 5 Deceleration coefficient 1 99 75 (DEC-COEFF) 6 Decel.measurement 25 500 50 window (DEC-n) (mS) 7 HotZoneMin (increments) 16128 32 8 HotZoneMax (increments) HotZoneMin 128 48 9 Hot zone dwell 2002000 500 (VirtualButtonDelay) (mS)

It will be appreciated that while the above presented exemplaryembodiment utilizes user keypad entries to accomplish parametersettings, various other methods may be used equally effectively whereappropriate. For example, a user may configure the parameters using a PCapplication, local or internet-based, and then download the resultingvalues into the controlling device using known methods such as describedfor example in U.S. Pat. No. 5,953,144 or 5,537,463 both of likeassignee and incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.Alternatively, in embodiments where a controlling device is equipped fortwo-way IR or RF communication with, for example, set top box 104,parameter adjustments may be accomplished using an interactive STBapplication and transferred to the controlling device via said two-waycommunication link. Further, in both of the above cases selection ofparameter values may be accomplished interactively viaexperimentation—for example a specially designed PC or STB applicationmay allow the user to interact with an exemplary screen display in acalibration mode with the controlling device parameters all at theirdefault values, and automatically determine the optimum adjustments forthat user based upon observed metrics such as reaction time, positingaccuracy, speed of input gestures, etc.

In certain embodiments in which controlling device 100 is adapted tosupport two-way communication with a target appliance such as STB 104,additional refinements to parameter values may be implemented. Forexample, in place of or as a supplement to the above mentionedcalibration mode, a target appliance may monitor a user's interactionsand make dynamic, adaptive adjustments to the parameters stored in thecontrolling device via the two-way link. By way of example, if a user isobserved to consistently overshoot when scrolling a program guidedisplay, the acceleration and/or deceleration coefficients may beautomatically adjusted by the STB application to improve the userexperience. In yet another embodiment, a controlling device may storemultiple parameter sets corresponding to various activities, for exampleone set optimized for menu navigation and another set optimized for gameplaying, with the parameter set currently in use being selected by theSTB based on the current activity being performed. Alternatively, only asingle set of base parameters may stored, and an activity relatedscaling factor supplied by the STB.

In some contemplated embodiments, not all parameters may necessarily berevealed to a user of the controlling device and made available foradjustment. For example, for the sake of simplicity certain parametervalues may be determined by the manufacturer or supplier of thecontrolling device, based for example on the application and/or targetappliance with which the controlling device is intended to be used, andpreset at time of manufacture or installation.

While various concepts have been described in detail, it will beappreciated by those skilled in the art that various modifications andalternatives to those concepts could be developed in light of theoverall teachings of the disclosure.

Further, while described in the context of functional modules andillustrated using block diagram format, it is to be understood that,unless otherwise stated to the contrary, one or more of the describedfunctions and/or features may be integrated in a single physical deviceand/or a software module, or one or more functions and/or features maybe implemented in separate physical devices or software modules. It willalso be appreciated that a detailed discussion of the actualimplementation of each module is not necessary for an enablingunderstanding of the invention. Rather, the actual implementation ofsuch modules would be well within the routine skill of an engineer,given the disclosure herein of the attributes, functionality, andinter-relationship of the various functional modules in the system.Therefore, a person skilled in the art, applying ordinary skill, will beable to practice the invention set forth in the claims without undueexperimentation. It will be additionally appreciated that the particularconcepts disclosed are meant to be illustrative only and not limiting asto the scope of the invention which is to be given the full breadth ofthe appended claims and any equivalents thereof.

All patents cited within this document are hereby incorporated byreference in their entirety.

What is claimed is:
 1. A device for use in controlling functionaloperations of an appliance, comprising: a processing device; an inputdevice coupled to the processing device, the input device comprising amultiple electrode, capacitive touch sensor having a central touchsensor area from which extend discrete first, second, third, and fourthtouch sensor areas such that the input device is provided with anX-shape and wherein the input device is configured to receive a firstsliding gesture in a direction that is along a first axis of the inputdevice that is defined by the central, first, and second touch sensorareas and a second sliding gesture that is in a direction that is alonga second axis of the input device that is defined by the central, third,and fourth touch sensor areas; a transmission device coupled to theprocessing device; and a memory device having stored thereoninstructions which, when executed by the processing device, cause theprocessing device to respond to the first sliding gesture provided tothe input device by causing the transmission device to transmit to theappliance a first series of navigation step commands for controlling afirst corresponding navigational function of the appliance and torespond to the second sliding gesture provided to the input device bycausing the transmission device to transmit to the appliance a secondseries of navigation step commands for controlling a secondcorresponding navigational function of the appliance.
 2. The device asrecited in claim 1, wherein the first series of navigation step commandscomprises a series of step commands for controlling only an Xdirectional navigational function of the appliance and the second seriesof navigation step commands comprises a series of step commands forcontrolling only a Y directional navigational function of the appliance.3. The device as recited in claim 1, wherein the instructions cause theprocessing device to respond to a tapping gesture provided to the inputdevice by causing the transmission device to transmit to the appliance adiscrete command for controlling a discrete functional operation of theappliance.
 4. The device as recited in claim 3, wherein parametersstored in the memory of the device further function to define one ormore regions of the input device for receiving the tapping gesture. 5.The device as recited in claim 1, wherein the first series of navigationstep commands and the second series of navigation step commands eachcomprise a sequence of direction commands that are transmitted by thetransmission device and wherein a number of direction commandstransmitted by the transmission device is determined as a function ofone or more characteristics associated with the respective first slidinggesture and second sliding gesture and one or more parameters stored inthe memory of the device.
 6. The device as recited in claim 1, whereinthe first series of navigation step commands and the second series ofnavigation step commands each comprise a sequence of variable directiondelta values that are transmitted by the transmission device at a fixedinterval and wherein a delta value in the sequence of variable directiondelta values is determined as a function of one or more characteristicsassociated with the respective first sliding gesture and second slidinggesture and one or more parameters stored in the memory of the device.